4 Simple Ways to Get Member Feedback at Your Gym

A gym, though it’s a place of fitness, is also a place of business. Your members are your customers, and their satisfaction is going to be what keeps them loyal to your gym instead of going somewhere else. If you want to be sure your members are happy with the service you’re providing (or if you need to pinpoint problems before you lose business), then you need to get feedback.

But how? Well, you might want to consider…

1). Staff and Member Interaction

Your staff is there to make sure problems get handled at the ground-level. However, in addition to instructing members, answering membership questions and keeping the gym clean and orderly, your staff is also on the frontline when it comes to collecting member feedback. That’s why it’s important for them to ask members how things are, and to take note of any problems that get reported. Even if it’s just a member who doesn’t want to make a fuss about something, staff members can take note of it, and pass it up the chain of command so the issue can be evaluated.

2). Member Satisfaction Surveys

While it might feel ham-handed, asking members to take surveys to share their experiences can be extremely helpful. It gives you a direct line into what your members think, and if you leave the opportunity for comments they can provide direct feedback on specific issues or elaborate on what they love. To increase responses, offer members something for their feedback. Maybe it’s a free piece of branded swag, a discount at your retail store or something else that will get them to take a few moments out of their day to let you know about their experience at your gym.

3). Suggestion Box

Suggestion boxes are another great venue to allow for anonymous communication from members. Anyone can leave a suggestion, and they can be as brief or as long as they wish. The important thing is that if you give people the opportunity to speak directly to the powers-that-be when it comes to offering feedback, those who have issues will make sure to exercise this option. Suggestion boxes are used primarily for negative feedback, but you need to be made aware of issues members are having if you want to fix them.

4). Let People Know You’re Listening

Sometimes all it takes to get feedback is to let members know you’re keeping an open ear for them to air any and all concerns. If you show that you’ll listen to concerns without offering false promises or becoming defensive, and that you will take their feedback into consideration when making decisions, members will be more likely to give feedback. You’re not just hearing the words they’re saying, but you’re involved, and actively listening to where they’re coming from. That opens a dialogue, and creates a basis for repeated positive interactions.

Encouraging member feedback through a variety of different mediums is the best way to let your members know their opinions matter. This feedback will help you constantly improve your business, providing the best member experience possible. It’ll also help with long term retention.

For additional tips on improving retention, get your copy of our free guide, 7 Essential Strategies for Member Retention.